Bedspring



C. J. ELDERv Jan. 10, 1950 BEDSPRING 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 1, 1944 INVENTOR.

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C. J. ELDER Jan. 10, 1950 BEDSPRING Filed Sept. 1, 1 944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Pill I lllnlllllllnllllllln II I I IIII IIIIII II IIIIIII IIIII INVENTOR. C/mwisjflpsg flffdPA/E r5 Patented Jan. 10, 1950 BEDSPRING Charles J. Elder, Muncie, Ind.,assignor :to The Moore Company, Muncie, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Application September 1, 1944, Serial No. 552,282

2 Claims.

My invention relates to bed springs, "and it is my object to produce an improved bed spring which will be sturdy and durable in construction and which will provide adequate comfort. A fur ther object of my invention is to produce .a bed spring which can be simply "and economically manufactured.

In carrying out my invention, I employ as the resilient load-supporting elements of the bed spring a'multiplicity oftorsion springs disposed with their axes horizontal and provided with intgral arms one of which isconnected to the base frame of the spring. The other ends of the tersion-spring arms are connected to each other andto a border frame by flexible's'trips'of .metal.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my invention: Fig. 1 is a plan view of one end of a bed spring; Fig. 2 is a transverse section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a plan View of the base frame; Fig. 4 is a vertical section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the torsion springs; and Fig. 6 is a fragmental plan view illustrating a modified construction.

The spring shown in the drawings comprises a base frame including a border member I0, longitudinally extending spring supports ll, and a central cross-member formed of angle iron and secured together at their points of intersection. As shown, there are four of the spring supports II, but this number may vary if desired.

The supporting members l as well as the sides and ends of the border member ID support res'ilient load-sustaining elements including torsion springs. The preferred form of spring element which is designated in its entirety by the reference numeral I5, is illustrated in Fig. 5. As there shown, each spring element comprises a single piece of spring wire bent perpendicularly on each side of its midpoint to provide an intermediate leg I6 and two parallel legs l1. Intermediate its length. each of the legs I! is coiled helically, as indicated at l8, and beyond each helically coiled portion |8 the wire continues to form an arm I9. The end of each arm I9 is turned outwardly and formed to provide a hook 20. At the midpoint of the intermediate leg It, the material thereof is offset downwardly, as indicated at 2|. Each offset 2| has a sufficient vertical extent to project through a flange of the angle iron from which the base-frame members In and II are formed. I

, The spring elements l5 are desirably arranged in transverse and longitudinal rows on the base frame as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2, with each side of the border member I2, all conveniently pair of transverse rows Ill and each of the supporting members supporting a row of-spring elements. Desirably, the elements l5 are disposed soethat their arms l9 project outwardly from the longitudinal center line of the assembly.

:At each end of the'spring assembly I preferably provide a transverse row of spring elements, designated |5a in Fig. "1, such elements being supported fromthe end of the base frame 10 with their arms 19 extending outwardly of the: ass sem-bly.

For the purpose of securing the springs l5 and |5a inplace on the base frame, the border member l0 and the supporting members H are provided with slots 25 at the points where they are to support spring elements 15 or I511, each of such slots being adapted to receive the offset 2| of the associated spring element. In addition to the slots 25 in the horizontal flanges of the border member If) and supporting members H, the members l0 and II are also provided in their vertical flanges with alined holes adapted to receive a wire 26. In assembling the bed spring, the offset 2| of each spring element I5 is placed in a slot 25; and after all the springs in each transverse row have been so arranged the wire 26 is inserted passing through the holes in the vertical flanges of the members l0 and II and through the offsets 2|. The ends of the wire 26 may be bent over to prevent withdrawal of the wire. The spring elements |5a of each end row of such elements are held in place on the adjacent end of the base frame ll! by wire clips 27 shown in Fig. 4. As will be clear from that figure, each clip 21 embodies an eye 28 which embraces the associated offset 2|, while the body of the clip extends through the hole in the vertical flange of the border member ID and is bent to embrace the lower edge of such flange.

The upper margin of the spring assembly is defined by a border frame 30, preferably in the form of a light sheet-metal angle, across which there extend transverse strips of flexible material 3|. Desirably, the strips 3| are not continuous, but are interrupted near the longitudinal center-line of the spring assembly, the interruption in each strip being bridged by a short helical tension spring 32. One pair of the strips 3| is associated with each transverse row of spring elements I5. Such strips overlie the hooks 20 of the spring elements of that row and are provided with separated tongues 33 struckdownwardly and adapted to receive the hooks 20. Desirably, there is a strip 3| disposed between each of spring elements l5,

such strip being connected to those on opposite sides of it by helical tension springs 34.

The hooks 20 of the spring elements I541. at the ends of the assembly may be secured directly to the ends of the border frame 30. For this purpose, the horizontal flange of the border frame is provided with struck-down, hook-receiving tongues 35, similar to the tongues 33 of the strips 3|.

If desired, the bed spring may include one or more stabilizers 48 acting between the border frame 30 and the base frame to oppose horizontal displacement of the former. Such devices need not be described in detail, as several different stabilizers are in common use.

The strips 3! need not be secured directly to the sides of the border frame 30, in the manner indicated in Figs. 1 and 2, but instead may be connected to such border frame by interposed helical tension springs 35, as shown in Fig. 6.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a bed spring, a rigid base frame, a border frame above said base frame, a plurality of flexible strips extendin transversely of said border frame, transverse rows of springs arranged beneath said strips, each of said springs having an intermediate portion helically coiled on a horizontal axis and lower and upper arms extending from the ends of said coiled portion and secured respectively to said base frame and to one of said strips, said upper spring arm forming a hook and each of said strips being provided with downstruck tongues embracing the hooks of the associated row of springs.

2. In a bed spring, a rigid base frame, a border frame above said base frame, a plurality of flexible strips extending transversely of said border frame, transverse rows of springs arranged beneath said strips, each of said springs having an intermediate portion helically coiled on a horizontal axis and lower and upper arms extending from the ends of said coiled portion and secured respectively to said base frame and to one of said strips, said springs being arranged in pairs, each pair being formed from a single wire, the middle portion of said Wire being provided with a downwardly extending offset, said base frame being provided with an opening receiving said offset, means extending through said offset beneath the base frame, the end portions of said wire constituting the upper arms of the pair of springs, said upper arms being secured to adjacent ones of said transverse strips.

CHARLES J. ELDER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 187,961 Burch Mar. 6, 1877 214,685 Mitchell Apr. 22, 1879 364,233 Emmert June 7, 1887 536,123 Beall Mar. 19, 1895 641,361 Beall Jan. 16, 1900 747,002 Shaiffer Dec. 15, 1903 1,122,015 Malley et al Dec. 22, 1914 2,029,076 Leeman Jan. 28, 1936 2,119,368 Travis or May 31, 1938 2,242,731 Tallmadge May 20, 1941 

